Engine control means



July 25, 1933. A smELBER 1,919,536

ENGINE CONTROL MEANS Fil ed Feb 6, 1930 tages will appear hereinafter.

Patented July 25, 1933 UNITED STATES PATENT ic E'j MERLIN A. STICELIBER, OF KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR TO THE NAFZIGEB.

conrona'rron, or KANSAS CITY, mssou'm, A CORPORATION or Enema CONTROL MEANS MISSOURI I a Application filed February 6, 1930. Serial No. 426,271. 7

These improvements relate to means vfor controlling an internal combustion engine in various ways and to various effects by devices electrically operated. V v

.The prime object is to provide simple and highly advantageous means for controlllng an internal combustion engine; to provide an electric governor which may be associated with the timer mechanism; and, more specifically, one which may readily be installed as an attachment in connection with the timer mechanism of internal combustion engines already in use, or which may be part of the original construction. Other objects are to provide a mechanism of this kind which is simple in construction, of few parts, one which occupies but little space, and one according to which the installation maybe made in, or removed from, the timer device, without prejudice tothe normal functioning of the timer. Still other objects and advan- In the drawin Figure 1' 's a fragmentary view of automo ile parts in side elevation showing an application of the present governor device to control the speed of the engine. whereby the speed'of the vehicle maynot rise beyond a predetermined amount;

Fig. 2 shows partly in elevation and partly in medial vertical section a well-known form of timerdevice having these improvements in a highly advantageous-form applied'thereo r Fig. 3 is a horizontal section on the line 33 of Fig. 2;

.Fig. 4 is a perspective oftheterisioning spring for the governor device; and

Fig. 5 is a top view enlar ed over that o f Fig. 1 showing an air inta e control device.

tributor arm 12 with its contact member 13 on a leaf spring 14 and with the distributor spark member 15 arranged to pass closely adjacent to theseveral terminals 16, with the timer shaft 17 extending through the bottom Referring to Fig. 2 the housing body mam ber 10, the housing cap member 11, the disremoved by simply releasing first spring 32 housing body 10 there is other'timer mechanism, all old and well-known, which it is deemed unnecessary to illustrate or describe in detail. i j l v Such a timeras the oneillustrated, omitting my novel features, has a pair of leaf springs 20 held respectively by pins 21 on lugs-22 with projections 23 respectively adapted by; the manufacturer of the timer device to engage with a notch at 25 fin'the cap member- 11. I have shown anint'er'mediate housing member 26 between the body member 10 and cap member 11. If that intermediate member 26 and the governor were removed the cap member 11 would 'fit upon the body member lO, and the springprojecwould then. have the. ordinary well-known timer without any ofthe inents added thereto. I a

The housing as a whole will ordinarily be a substantially cylindrical body. -The ring 26 is of the same "diameter as the coacting upper portions of the body 10'and' the lower portions of the.cap 11. The ring 26 has a depending inner flange 27,- which fits inside of the-body wall 10 exactly the sameas does therefore interfits with the body 10, and also with the cap 11 so as to lock theseveral parts together in all respects as cap 11 would be.

present improvetion 23 would engage-the notch at 25. i I

locked directly to body 10 without thepresent improvements. added. I

Means for holding the cap 11 on the intermediate ring 26 are the two leaf springs 32 held likewise on pin 21, but with a'leaf exten- 'sion 32a, which permits springs 32 to beapplied and removed a readily. -These. springs 32 are provided at their upper end portions respectively withprojections 33' adapted to. engage the notches 25 Ring 26 isprovided with notches 34 adapted to be engaged by the projections 230i springs. 20. The springs 32 overlie springs 20 respectively. The cap andthe intermediate ring may be readily notch or cut-out at 17 a.

' 17 at 17a.

and then spring 20 from their catch recesses respectively.

Fig. 2 shows that the timer shaft 17 has a The timer arm 12, of insulating material, as of bakelite, has a recess 35 coaxial with shaft 17 adapted to accommodate the upper end of shaft 17 when the ring 26 is not present. a As shown in Fig. 2 this recess 35 accommodates the upper end of a short shaft or. shaft-like connection of insulating material, as bakelite, which isv recessed or notched at 40a (Fig. 2) in all respects the same as is the upper end of shaft The arm 12 fitting upon this shaft or connection 40 is therefore driven around when connection 40 is turned. 4 The lower'end 40b of shaft or connection 40 is formed in all respects the same as the lower end portion 12a, of timer arm 12 so that the lower end 40?) fits upon the upper. end of shaft 17 exactly the same as the lower end 120. would do without these improvements.

' Fig. 3 shows a pair of trunnions 42 emerging diametrically fromthe shaft-like connection 40, and on these trunnions is an el0n gated metallic ring 43 mounted to swingon the trunnions 42. This construction projvides what is frequently called a wabble ring, or awabble ring governor. Centrifugal force causes the ring 43-to assume a position at right angles; or more nearly at right angles to the power shaft as 17 with respect to its position shown in Fig. 2.

I The sprin 45 (Fig. 4) hasa coil 45a passing around the exposed part of the shaft-like connection 40 and a pair of hook members 45?) engaging the governor ring 43 as shown causes the ring to assume the slanting positionas shown in Fig. 2, and centrifugal-force moves the governor ring against the tension of spring 45. The tension of spring 45 may be adjusted by turning the nut 16' on screw shaft 7 passing through eye 8 (Fig. 4) of spring 45, there being a projection 9 on shaft connection 40 through which bolt 7 passes.

' On the inner surface of housing ring .26

are two conductor half-ring's47 and '48 insulated from each other at 49 and 50.

Spring brushes 51 and 52-oppositely secured.

, on the governor ring are adapted to contact these oppositely-disposed contact "members 47 and 48 when'centrifugalforce hasmoved the governor ring into a more straight-across relation. I Binding posts 54 and 55 flI'G'COH', fnectedto half-rings 47 and 48 respectively,

" and fromthese' posts Wires 56 and 57 extend "to any suitable electric device to be controlled.

by the engine speed as interpreted at the timer shaft 17. r j

" Turning to Fig. 1 the carburetor 60 has a pipe'extension having a flange 61, and intake manifold 62 has a similar, flange 63. The shape of these flanges is the same as that of.

member 64 in Fig. 5. The flanges 61 and 63 are found in practice to be bolted together. Plate-like member 64 is interposed and bolted betiveen these flanges.

The hole 65 (Fig. 5) is a fuel passageway. Bore 66 is an air intake port covered by valve 67 on solenoid core rod 68 entering solenoid coil 69 secured to support 76 integral with member 64. The energizing wire 57 is shown as leading to the timer device of'Figs. 2 and 3 while wire 58 leads to' battery B and thence wire 72 leads also to the governor device.

Referring to the application shown in Figs.

, 1 and 4, when the timer shaft rotates at a The adjustment at 6, 7, 8 and 9 (Fig. 2) determines the speed at which the governorbecomes effective. i I

Centrifugal governors have been suggested heretofore in connection with timer shafts, but only, so, far as I know, to provide mechanical motion, such motionbeing suggested for controlling the engine speed, as by a valve in'the intake manifold. Such a mechanical operation involves a considerable number of mechanical parts and the application of conin Fig. 2. This spring tension normally siderable force, and more force, indeed, than it is. possible to supply by means of a governor, unless the governor be quite largeand having substantially heavy centrifugal members. Furthermore the association with the timer shaft of a governor adapted to provide such force as is necessary to operate control devices mechanically entails a considerable burden upon the timer shaft and its connections, and one which is likely to interfere with the correct timing of the sparks for the engine cylinders. According to these improvements, in their broader aspects, the only. additional work put upon the timer shaft is the entirely negligible one'of. operating the electrical governor device, while the actual work to be done, say for :moving a valve, of one kind or another, as tocontrol the engine, is performed electrically,."as by asolenoid. The improvements in the commutator or timer housing, and one which obviates the use of numerous mechanical constructions objectionable in many ways.

I contemplate 'asbeing included in these improvements all such changes, variations and departures from what is specifically illustrated and described herein as fall within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A multiple-part housing for an engine timer or distributor of the character described which comprises a body member, an intermediate member and a cap member, with means for holding the cap member releasably upon the intermediate member, and other means for holding the intermediate member releasably upon the body member.

2. In a combined timer or distributor of the character described and a governor, the combination of a timer shaft, a centrifugal governor device readily attachably mounted on the inner end of said shaft for rotation thereby, and a distributor arm readily attachably mounted on the governor device to be rotated thereby, there being housing means encompassing the inner end of said shaft and said governor device, distributor terminals carried by the housing means for coaction with the distributor arm, and contacts adapted to cooperate with the rotating.

governor device.

3. In a combined timer or distributor of the character described and a governor, a timer shaft, a housing having areadily removable cap portion carrying distributor terminals. a governor device including a part adapted to fit for ready re-movability upon the end of said shaft so as to be rotated thereby, and a distributor arm adapted to fit readily removably upon said part.

4. An attachment device for a timer or distributor of the character described having a housing comprising a body portion and a cap portion, and a timer shaft extending into the housing, said attachment device comprising an intermediate housing member adapted to fit between said body and cap portions, a governor device including a part adapted to fit upon the end of the timer shaft for rotation thereby, said part being formed to interfit also with a distributor arm adapted to fit also upon the end of said shaft, said intermediate housing member-and said governor device having coacting contact means for controlling a circuit.

5. The combination with an internal combustion engine having a timer shaft, timer mechanism, and a housing for the timermechanism, of an electrical centrifugal governor device in the form of an attachment having means for. readily associating same with the timer mechanism and within said housing for operation by the timer shaft, with means for completing an electric circuit by the governor device when the latter reaches a predetermined speed.

MERLIN A. STICELBER. 

